Ross was born on the 14th of June, 1987 in Meadeville, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Knox, almost 100 miles North of Pittsburgh. His family moved there when he was three years old and in kindergarten, Ross filled out a paper saying that when he grew up, he wanted to be an Army Man. Ross went on to be in the Boy Scouts of America, played basketball and soccer and baseball, and enjoyed working on cars. He graduated from Keystone Junior/Senior High School in 2005 and had enlisted in the Army’s delayed entry program in June of 2004. Ross attended Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in Schweinfurt, Germany. The regiment was deployed to Eastern Baghdad, Iraq, in August of 2006 and Ross was a .50 caliber machine gunner atop of a Humvee. It was on the 4th of December 2006, that Ross would selflessly save his crew and earn the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on December 4, 2006. That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion. Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Ross’ parents, Romayne and Tom, received his Medal of Honor from President Bush on the 2nd of June, 2008, making him the fourth recipient in the course of the Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ross A McGinnis is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and his grave can be found in Section 60, site 8544.